Boynton Beach enforces red-light-camera violations from July

Red-light runners may have thought they were off the hook for any violations that happened in Boynton while the city's red-light-camera program was suspended earlier this year.

But the city now says any red-light-camera violations recorded from July 17 to Aug. 17 still can result in tickets for motorists. The Boynton Beach Police Department issued 863 violation notices that stem from that 31-day period, said Jaclyn Smith, spokeswoman with Boynton Beach police.

"I was little surprised," said Don Quinty, 57, of Delray Beach, who recently received a violation notice in the mail over a July 26 infraction in Boynton."I thought the city began issuing tickets again in August. So I'm a little confused as to why the ticket I have is dated in July."

Boynton Beach had suspended its program in April after hundreds of red-light-camera tickets were thrown out by a judge.

It came after an October court ruling that found Hollywood could not delegate ticket-writing duties to third-party vendor American Traffic Solutions. The ruling applied not only to Hollywood, but statewide.

And government entities such as Palm Beach County, Boca Raton, Tamarac, Margate and Hallandale Beach suspended their programs.

But Boynton always has maintained that unlike Hollywood and other cities, Boyntonpolice officers review the tickets before they are sent to potential violators, differentiating it from other programs.

In June, as Boynton reviewed the issue, it prolonged its camera-blackout period. During that blackout, the city suspended its ticketing program. But the cameras still were recording violations for statistical purposes, according to a police department memo.

"Although the program was suspended and no new violations are being written, the system is still on and archiving violations," wrote Boynton Beach Police Officer Richard McNevin to City Manager Lori LaVerriere in a July 30 memo.

Then on Aug. 17, the city and American Traffic Solutions signed a new contract.

But the violations dating to July 17 remained legally binding, according to Anthony Verrigni, community service officer with the Boynton Beach Police Department.

City officials haven't yet offered additional details about why the older tickets are valid. Boynton Beach's City Attorney James Cherof, City Manager Lori LaVerriere and Communications Coordinator Eleanor Krusell did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

In separate phone interviews Tuesday, City Commissioner David Merker and Vice Mayor Joe Casello said they think Aug. 17 — the day the city's contract was signed — should have been the new start date for the red-light program.

"Aug. 17 is when the program went back into effect for me,"Casellosaid. "Back-ticketing people is asinine. It's ridiculous."

Merker said the city should stick to its word.

"If the city said it wasn't giving out tickets then, and was not recording violations at that time, then those people shouldn't have to be responsible for their tickets," Merker said. "What's fair is fair, and we decided in August that the program started all over again."

Boynton Beach resident Ed Stein, 69, said he, too, received a ticket in September for a red-light-camera violation from July 21. He said his 26-year-old son apparentlyran through a red light on Woolbright Road and Congress Avenue in Boynton Beach.

"I thought the cameras were off, so I wasn't sure if this ticket was entirely legal," Stein said.